User’s Guide Creative WebCam NX Ultra Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Creative Technology Ltd. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the written permission of Creative Technology Ltd.
Contents
Before You Begin........................................................................................................................................... iv Package Contents ................................................................................................................................ iv README file.......................................................................................................................................... iv Minimum System Requirements .......................
Viewing a Video.......................................................................................................................................... 2-4 Reactivating the Camera ......................................................................................................................... 2-4 Starting PC-CAM Center Help .............................................................................................................................
Introduction
Introduction Creative WebCam NX Ultra is a digital camera kit that gives you everything you need to capture 24-bit still images and video in 16.7 million colors. Not only that, it also allows you to communicate face-to-face with others on the Internet! Applications included on your Installation CD may vary depending on camera model and region of purchase.
❑ Microsoft Windows® 98/98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Me (Millennium Edition), Windows 2000 or Windows XP ❑ 16-bit color display at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels ❑ CD-ROM drive installed ❑ Sound Blaster® or other Windows-compatible audio card. Sound Blaster 16 or higher required for simultaneous two-way conversation with full-duplex support. For Videoconferencing ❑ Modem or LAN access to the Internet at 28.
Document Conventions Tip. This tells you about short cuts or hints relating to a feature. Note. This highlights additional or important information about a feature. Caution! This highlights proper usage of your product. Use this information to avoid risky situations. Warning! This warns you of possible hazards to yourself or your product, that may result in injury or damage.
1 Installing Creative WebCam NX Ultra
Installing Creative WebCam NX Ultra This chapter tells you how to quickly install Creative WebCam NX Ultra. About Creative WebCam NX Ultra • You can install the WebCam with your computer turned on. • The USB port(s) on your computer may be found on the front panel and/or the back panel. • You can attach the WebCam to a USB hub with an external power supply. Figure 1-1 highlights the features of Creative WebCam NX Ultra.
Installing Creative WebCam NX Ultra Follow the installation procedures for your operating system. In Windows 98/98 SE /Me/2000/ XP 1. Do not connect Creative WebCam NX Ultra to your computer before installing the drivers. If you accidentally begin installation with Creative WebCam NX Ultra connected, the Add New Hardware Wizard or Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box appears. Click the Cancel button and disconnect the WebCam from your computer. 2.
6. If you want to connect a microphone for video conferencing, plug it into your computer as shown below.
7. Connect your WebCam to your computer as shown in Figure 1-4. USB port Figure 1-4: Connecting Creative WebCam NX Ultra to your computer For Windows XP only After connecting your camera, Windows automatically detects the device. 8. When the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box appears, click the Install the software automatically (Recommended) option, and then click the Next button. 9. Check the image in the Video preview pane of the Creative WebCam NX Ultra Camera Configuration dialog box.
For Windows 2000 only 8. When a Digital Signature Not Found dialog box appears, telling you that Creative WebCam NX Ultra has been detected, click the Yes button. 9. Check the image in the Video preview pane of the Creative WebCam NX Ultra Camera Configuration dialog box. If it flickers or displays a series of dark bands, click the Cancel Flicker button. 10. Click the Finish button, and then restart your computer if you are prompted to do so. Figure 1-5: Digital Signature Not Found dialog box.
10. Click the Finish button, and then restart your computer if you are prompted to do so. Verifying the installation in Windows 2000 & XP Verifying the installation in Windows 98/98 SE and Windows Me 1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop. 2. On the menu that appears, click Properties. 3. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Hardware tab. 4. Click the Device Manager button. A window appears. 5. Click the plus (+) sign next to the Imaging Device icon.
2 Creative WebCam NX Ultra Applications
Creative WebCam NX Ultra Applications The Creative WebCam NX Ultra application CD includes the following: ❑ Creative PC-CAM Center ❑ Creative WebCam Monitor Creative PC-CAM Center This powerful application lets you take pictures or record videos, and stores them in albums. You can also export pictures or videos to other programs, or send them as attachments in your e-mail message. There are various settings for you to adjust, allowing you to optimize the quality of your pictures and videos.
3 Using PC-CAM Center
Using PC-CAM Center This chapter tells you how to quickly set up Creative WebCam NX Ultra as a web camera using the PC-CAM Center software. For detailed information about the application’s features and settings, refer to its Help file. (See “Starting PC-CAM Center Help” on page 3-4.) Starting PC-CAM Center • If PC-CAM Center does not recognize the camera correctly, see Appendix A, “Troubleshooting.
Capturing Images and Video For more instructions on how to take a photo or record a video, refer to the PC-CAM Center Help file. To launch PC-CAM Center Help, see "Starting PC-CAM Center Help" on page 3-4. Taking a Photo To take a photo: 1. In the PC-CAM Center window, click the Live Video button . The current camera view is displayed in the Viewing window. The Save automatically check box is selected, by default. 2. In the Save photo in box, select the destination album for your photo. 3.
5. To stop the recording, click the button again. The button stops blinking. By default, the video is saved automatically and added to the destination album. To preview a video: 1. Click the Save automatically check box to clear it, if you want to preview each video before deciding whether to save it to the destination album. Viewing a Photo 2. Click the Record video button 3. After you stop recording, click the Play button on the bottom left-hand corner of the Live Video window to preview the video.
Viewing a Video 1. Click the My Album button . PC-CAM Center is now in My Album mode. 2. In the My Album box, click the My Video folder and then click the album that contains the video that you want to view. Thumbnails of videos in the album are displayed in the Thumbnails window. 3. Double-click the thumbnail of the video you want to view. The video plays in the Viewing window. If you are not satisfied with the result, you can select a higher resolution, and then capture the video again.
A Technical Specifications
Technical Specifications Construction ❑ WebCam NX Ultra with a USB cable Power ❑ Supplied by a USB port Sensor ❑ CCD image sensor Video Resolution ❑ Up to 640 x 480 pixels on a Minimum System Picture Resolution Still mode ❑ Up to 640 x 480 pixels ❑ With software enhancement: Up to 1280 x 960 pixels Video formats ❑ RGB24 ❑ I420 Exposure control ❑ Automatic Color balance ❑ Automatic Field-of-view ❑ 75 degrees +/- 5% (horizontal) Depth-of-field ❑ 15 centimeters (6 inches) to infinity Port c
Software compatibility ❑ TWAIN, Video for Windows, WDM MiniDriver for DirectShow and Still Image driver (STI) that runs in Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, Windows Me and Windows XP Technical Specifications A-2
B Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting If you have a technical problem with this product, you may wish to consult our selfhelp tool “Knowledgebase” for online troubleshooting and solutions. Go to www.creative.com and select your region. Problems Using Creative WebCam NX Ultra An application reports that the video driver is already in use, or that the camera cannot be found. Do the following: ❑ Check that the camera is connected properly.
The camera’s Power LED does not light up, or in Windows 98/98 SE, Me and 2000, the computer restarts for no apparent reason. You may have USB devices drawing too much power from your computer. This can happen especially when connecting USB devices to a passive or selfpowered USB hub. In Windows XP, a dialog box similar to Figure B-1 appears. Do the following: ❑ Connect the camera directly to your computer’s USB port. ❑ Use a USB hub with an external power supply.
C Note on USB Compatibility
Note on USB Compatibility To look for a USB compatible product, you can visit the product search page at the official USB Web site: http:// www.usb.org/app/ search/products. While testing Creative WebCam NX Ultra on motherboards with integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, we encountered a small number of motherboards that do not meet the USB specification exactly. These and other non-USB-compliant motherboards may not operate correctly with Creative WebCam NX Ultra.
